Many Aspirants would agree that after reading the PMI-ACP® Exam syllabus, one still does not know exactly what would be tested on the actual PMI-ACP® Exam and how to prepare for the PMI-ACP® Exam. Help is much needed, especially from those who understand the PMI-ACP® Exam in details. Luckily, I have found the PMI-ACP® Exam reference book PMI-ACP® Exam Prep by Mike Griffiths published by RMC. I highly recommend this prep book for the PMI-ACP® Exam which, in my opinion, is THE textbook for PMI-ACP® Exam.

Recommended: RMC PMI-ACP® Exam Prep Book by Mike Griffiths

The PMI-ACP® Exam Prep, Second Edition: A Course in a Book for Passing the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP®) Exam by Mike Griffiths is considered by many PMI-ACP® Exam takers as the “official textbook of PMI-ACP® Exam”.

Mike Griffiths is the author who has the most profound knowledge of the PMI-ACP® Exam unfound on the market. In fact, he was one of the member of the PMI-ACP® Steering Committee(the body that conceived and laid out the structure and format of the PMI-ACP® Exam!). You will be assured of learning some first-hand “insider’s” information on the PMI-ACP® Exam. Currently, he is also a PMI-ACP® himself.

The book is published by RMC Publication, Inc., one of the most popular publishers of PMP® Exam reference book – RMC Rita’s PMP® Exam Book which is considered the bible of the PMP® Exam. With such a powerful combination of author and published, you will be guaranteed a quality PMI-ACP® Exam Prep book specifically for Aspirants.

As a matter of fact, since its publication of the premier edition in 2012, the RMC PMI-ACP® Exam Prep book is still the most popular and best-selling PMI-ACP® Exam reference book on the market. If you read the PMI-ACP® exam experiences of others, there is a high chance that this PMI-ACP® book is the recommended study resource.

Noteworthy: New PMI-ACP® Workbook by Mike Griffiths

Mike Griffiths has also recently published (in March 2017) a new PMI-ACP® Workbook(a 457 page book — more than the PMI-ACP® Exam Prep Book by a few pages) that focusses on a smaller subset of 50 key topics of the PMI-ACP® Exam syllabus which is intended for helping Aspirants with lots of practical and hands-on study tool that focusses on the core topics needed to pass the exam. It includes lots of exercises and many situational questions (more than 200 included; situational questions are now the part and parcel of the question format of the new PMI-ACP® Exam – almost all of the questions on the exam paper are now situational).

In Mike’s own words: “If you already have your CSM credential or 3+ years of agile experience you likely know the agile mindset, values and principles material already. However, you may not have the lean, kanban, and team development knowledge needed to pass the PMI-ACP® exam so the workbook can fill those gaps”.

My recommendation is:

if you are new to Agile, the RMC PMI-ACP® Exam Prep by Mike Griffiths will get all the fundamentals of Agile / PMI-ACP® Exam syllabus covered;

if you are an experienced CSM or Agilist, the PMI-ACP® Workbook will fill the gaps in your knowledge to be well prepared for the exam.

What makes the RMC PMI-ACP® Exam Prep by Mike Griffiths so special?

As many Agile experts have said, Agile project management is an art. Agile is easy to understand but difficult to master. There are many different schools of thoughts on the topics. Being an Agile practitioner, no matter how experience, is not a guarantee for a pass in the PMI-ACP® Exam. You will need to understand the PMI-ACP® Exam syllabus thoroughly in order to be able to pass the exam. That’s why the RMC PMI-ACP® Exam Prep by Mike Griffiths is so useful:

The RMC PMI-ACP® book decomposes and digests the PMI-ACP® Exam syllabus for you. It re-organizes the topics required for the PMI-ACP® Exam into an easily understandable tasks and knowledge framework directly related to the everyday work of Agile projects. Since the author was one of the committee members of the PMI-ACP® Exam, he understands thorough what are needed for the exam and thus you will be assured FULL and CORRECT coverage of the PMI-ACP® Exam syllabus.

Beware: for many other PMI-ACP® Exam prep notes / books available on the market, getting the right explanations to the tools and techniques, skills and knowledge of the PMI-ACP® Exam seems impossible. I purchased the study notes form a PMI-ACP® but spotted tons of errors!

The author includes an introduction section of the PMI-ACP® Exam, explaining the original aims and requirements of the PMI-ACP® exam (termed as “Tricks of the Trade” in the book). He also explains how to prepare for the PMI-ACP® Exam and pass it in first try. The significance of each topic for the PMI-ACP® Exam and what are expected for the exam is also explained in the text. The book also includes tips on how to prepare and take the Exam. The article on PMI-isms for the PMI-ACP® Exam (available in the dedicated website for the book) is also a must read!

Since the PMI-ACP® Exam is organized by PMI, you will need to understand the values, stance and terminologies of PMI in order to get the correct answers. PMI-isms is a term coined by the publisher to explain these concepts. It is not quite possible to just type the term in an internet browser to find the ‘correct’ explanation as defined by PMI. But with this RMC PMI-ACP® book, you will be assured of the correctness of the definition of terms.

The RMC PMI-ACP® book contains altogether over 100 practice exam questions for every topics of the book. Though 100 questions are absolute not enough to prepare well for the PMI-ACP® Exam. These questions can act as a starting point to understand whether you have acquired the knowledge for the chapters. (You can find more FREE PMI-ACP® sample exam questions here)

While explaining the different Agile concepts, dozens of visuals and graphics for explanation are included to further simplify the body test as a picture worths a dozen words. With the graphs and charts for various Agile concepts, you will be able to apply the tools and techniques readily in your every day work!

Real-world examples and practices (though not tested on the PMI-ACP® Exam) are included to illustrate the Agile concepts and their application.

The PMI-ACP® Book is considered by many not only as a PMI-ACP® Exam prep book but also the best consolidated source of Agile knowledge, tools, and techniques nowhere to be found elsewhere as Agile knowledge is quite fragmented with all the different frameworks and methodologies in the actual world. If the PMBOK® Guide is the book for the PMP® Exam, this PMI-ACP® Exam Prep by Mike Griffiths is the book for the PMI-ACP® Exam!

Conclusion

During my preparation for the PMI-ACP® Exam, I have studied and consulted several text-books and even tried to read the recommended books for the exam. No other books is so useful and helpful to assist me to prepare well for the PMI-ACP® Exam. The quality of this book is superb.

This is really THE textbook for PMI-ACP® Exam. Highly Recommended! If you are on the way to get PMI-ACP® certified, look no further than purchasing this RMC PMI-ACP® book by Mike Griffiths. As it says, it will be able to help you pass the PMI-ACP® Exam in first attempt. You will not regret any pennies spent on it.

Still not convinced, get a preview of the RMC PMI-ACP® Exam Prep by Mike Griffiths on Amazon:

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9 Responses

HI Edward,
I hope you well, I just completed the PMI-ACP trainng and will attend the exam within 2018.
I am wondering if there is reliable examination guide or text book for the exam which is similar as PMBOK.
Actually, my classmates also exam-oriented, and we are not looking for any shortcut, but we hope there is some reliable reference for the examination.
Please kindly advise.

If you are looking for “the” textbook for PMI-ACP Exam, then this is the book (RMC PMI-ACP Exam Prep by Mike Griffiths (2nd Edition)). Almost all PMI-ACP aspirants I know read this book to be well prepared for the exam.

Do you know the delta from the first edition to the second edition of the Mike Griffiths book? or where I can find the updates documented?
I have the first edition, but was not able to study and not sure if the first edition will hurt more than help if I want to take the test in 2017.
Thanks,

Sorry I have not compared the two editions word by word. However, according to the author of the book, the 2nd edition is just somewhat a “re-organization” of the subject materials. I am certain with the 1st edition, you can still get all that are required to know for the new PMI-ACP exam. However, the mock questions at the end of the book may not be quite similar to the new questions as there are way more “situational questions” nowadays.

Word-for-word would be complex 🙂 , but like the PMP brought in Stakeholder Management (or pulled-out to its own Knowledge Area) which was a big chunk, I wasn’t sure if the ACP had any big impacts. But sounds like I’m ok at least for the study material.
Thank you for the tips!

Yes, the book is for the current version of PMI-ACP Exam. As the PMI-ACP changes every 3 years or so, it is expected that the current version of PMI-ACP Exam will run till 2018. This RMC PMI-ACP Exam Prep by Mike Griffiths book is still the best in the market.

About Edward

Hi, my name is Edward Chung, PMP®, PMI-ACP®, ITIL® Foundation. Like most of us, I am a working professional pursuing career advancements through Certifications. As I am having a full-time job and a family with 3 kids, I need to pursue professional certifications in the most effective way (i.e. with the least amount of time). I share my exam tips here in the hope of helping fellow Certification aspirants!

If you have any queries, I am more than happy to help. Please review the certification FAQ here OR leave your queries in the comment section. I promise to attend to them asap.

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